Women What is your “why”?

[gymfan1]

I’d love to hear everyone’s gymnastics “why”. Why do you continue to compete, coach, etc ? I think hearing everyoneis a great way to appreciate this difficult sport.

 

[Gymgirl84]

I can't point to the specific thing, but I have a thing for the constantly trying to improve little by little and achieving something. I was a gymnast than the transitioned to coach and judge, even though I still play around with some little skills.
I've been away for some time after having kids and I missed it a lot.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Three reasons:

First, I think gymnastics is an incredibly powerful tool for building young people into stronger, happier, healthier people. Physically, it makes the body stronger, more agile, more capable in just about any activity. Mentally, it teaches skills far too numerous to list.

Second, I love love LOVE the technical challenge of breaking skills down and figuring out how to train them efficiently. Every skill is a puzzle, and once you solve one puzzle you can use the pieces to help with other puzzles. Sometimes you go back to an old puzzle you thought you solved and find a new solution. It's all puzzles and optimization challenges, and I'm a nerd who grew up playing Zelda, so I love puzzles and optimization challenges.

Third, I find the mechanical laws underlying gymnastics to be sublimely beautiful, and gymnastics is to me an almost spiritual way of communing with the natural laws and forces that govern the world around us.

 

[raenndrops]

I have just always loved gymnastics. I was a mostly self-taught gymnast. I think back and wish I had known the science behind some of the skills, because if I had, I would have been able to do even more.
When I grew up and we had little ones literally climbing our walls, we tried gymnastics. It stuck. Even when the girls weren't involved, I stayed. They came back to it. Then, their LSS joined. Then LBHG came for 2 seasons. All of them are adults now.
I still can't give it up.
It is one of the things that grounds me. I love seeing the progress. I love helping. I love explaining something to a girl that I KNOW other coaches have said, but it doesn't click until I say it a slightly different way. I love it when I show up at practice (after I have had to miss some), and one of the girls runs up to me and says, "I'm glad you're here. I need your help with XYZ."

 

[ginnastix]

“Why” as a gymnast

• Ridiculously fun: I’m kind of an adrenaline junkie, and I loved the thrill of doing challenging skills and performing on stage
• Well-defined rules and achievement metrics: I thrive in structured environments, and gymnastics was my reprieve from the chaotic and illogical “real world”
• Intellectually engaging: As @Geoffrey Taucer said, doing gymnastics is like solving a puzzle with your body…and I loved the learning process!
• Boosts self esteem: I was lucky to have very supportive coaches and teammates who nurtured my self image.

“Why” as a coach

Basically all the same reasons. While these’s less adrenaline to chase, there are WAY more puzzles to solve. I also love “giving back” to the community that has brought me so much joy over the years.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

Three reasons:

First, I think gymnastics is an incredibly powerful tool for building young people into stronger, happier, healthier people. Physically, it makes the body stronger, more agile, more capable in just about any activity. Mentally, it teaches skills far too numerous to list.

Second, I love love LOVE the technical challenge of breaking skills down and figuring out how to train them efficiently. Every skill is a puzzle, and once you solve one puzzle you can use the pieces to help with other puzzles. Sometimes you go back to an old puzzle you thought you solved and find a new solution. It's all puzzles and optimization challenges, and I'm a nerd who grew up playing Zelda, so I love puzzles and optimization challenges.

Third, I find the mechanical laws underlying gymnastics to be sublimely beautiful, and gymnastics is to me an almost spiritual way of communing with the natural laws that govern the world around us.

I love this answer and think that this must make you an incredible coach!!

 

[#BGymnast]

Where I live, its pretty much impossible to get to the Olympics. We are in a small state in Australia, so the biggest competition is State Championships. Everyone at my gym knows that we aren't going to the olympics. There are 2 girls who do possibly have the oppourtunity, but I'm talking about everyone else.
Going to higher level competitions for me would mean my whole family moves to Melbourne. I'm one of 4 kids, so that's not going to happen. From my parent's perspective, I can understand that you don't pack up your whole life to go spend all of your money on one of your 4 kids, even if she was that good. That wouldn't be fair on the others. What if they also were good at a sport where they would have to move interstate to get good at it? We are already a happy family living a happy life where we are.
And do you remember the last time Australia won a gymnastics medal at the olympics? No? That's cos its only happened once, and it was in trampolining!

No, I'm not just sitting here going on about how unfortunate I am to be born in a place without the best gymnastics facilities.

Why the people at my gym do gymnastics is because our gym is our home. We are a family, my coach is my second mum, my teammates are my siblings. If I stopped gymnastics, I would loose the purpose in my life, as well as a lot of my friends, and I would have nothing to do all day. What would I even daydream about in school?

I used to cry watching Americans on YouTube whose parents drove them 4 hours a day to go to the best gym in the country. I still get so mad when an Olympian posts on instagram saying "This could be you too".

As a gymnast, I'm not aiming to go to the Olympics or setting unrealistic goals. I am aiming to be the best gymnast I can be, work hard every day, level up, achieve new skills, do the best I can. One step backwards, two steps forwards.

So my why isn't because I am going to the Olympics.
My why is because I love it. Gymnastics is my home. I love pushing myself. Sure, it gets frustrating and sometimes so stressful before a comp that I'm crying and thinking, 'why can't I just be one of those girls who is naturally good at gymnastics?'
But then I look back. I look at how far I've come. I remember when I used to look up at the "big girls" and think that they were so amazing and good at gymnastics. Now I am one of them.

I do gymnastics because I love it.

 

[#BGymnast]

I’d love to hear everyone’s gymnastics “why”. Why do you continue to compete, coach, etc ? I think hearing everyoneis a great way to appreciate this difficult sport.

Thanks for asking this question, I feel like everyone has a good answer that needs to be shared